A Bloodstained Knight
by tsukaitenotoken
Summary: Ah...the life of a murderer. How pleasant. But a murderer never lets his prey get away. He'll find her someday... Aisha. LKxEM
1. Prologue

The newly waxed moon shone, contrasting the midnight black sky with a piercing sliver of pure white light.

Pure, however, was the exact opposite of what was happening below.

Gleaming crimson eyes were illuminated by the shining moonlight, tinged with a glow of bloodlust and malice. Cerise bangs caked with dried blood framed the figure's face, pressed to the skin by the red liquid that sustained life. A marred tan hood obscured the rest of his hair, undoubtedly covered in blood like the rest. The figure was clothed in steel armor over his neck and covering his shoulders, and a red shirt with a white stripe down the middle—and then a black stripe down the middle of the white stripe, but only around halfway—clothed the rest of his torso. More steel armored the bottom of the shirt, and a white cloth with red borders and some black emblem on it flowed from the bottom, and the same with the back. Wide black trousers were suppressed at the feet with red silver-embellished boots of sorts, and a sharp crimson steel sword framed with silver was clutched in his hand.

The most terrifying feature, though, was his smile. Moonlight gleamed over his teeth, white and shining. A smile that could only really be pulled off by someone truly terrifying, like a terrorist or serial killer. This man, however, was both.

The sound of horseshoes plowed through the silent night air, no doubt Velder's knights again. This time, though, he was ready. As the light illuminated the army, he simply glanced their way. Ill prepared, he thought. Incredibly ill-prepared. Maybe they didn't know he was here. Unlikely; that was probably the only reason they had come. After all, this forest was abandoned, the forest ruins even more so. The rural forest town of Ruben used to stand here.

Until he massacred them all.

He didn't care than Anne had given him gifts, or that Hagus had helped him find his way to Elder, which led him to his adventures with a few friends. He didn't care about anything anymore. He'd simply slaughter anything and everything that stood in the way of power.

A loud battle cry interrupted his malicious train of thought—quite a long trip, if you were to travel down its length—and the Velder militia grew on him, still flowing over the hill in an unbroken wave. Who knew what would happen—nobody, that's for sure. Maybe the terrorist's raw power would overtake them all, or the Velder troops' sheer number would overcome him.

Ah, but hope would never stay. It'd come for a second, and then leave you in the dark, lonely, hopeless, and melancholy. So why find it—if it were only to betray you and leave you again?

Foolish Velder imbeciles, crashing down the hill, he thought. Simply running to their own deaths…

What would happen? It was obvious. Without evil, there can be no good…so again, crimson waves would murder all the troops at once. Perhaps he would take mercy and let them run, their tails between their legs, back to Feita or wherever their stupid headquarters were while the Demons overran their precious palace.

Ridiculous thoughts. What kind of hunter would let their prey run?

And so, the whole army seemed to explode, bits and pieces flying everywhere. Some stragglers tried to make it over the hill with severed limbs, but they were quickly dispatched with a storm of sand sending them upward. If that didn't kill them, either the recoil or thirty-foot drop would.

_Ah. _Black gloved fingers pulled out the shirt. _And I only just washed these clothes too…_

Only someone like this could do this. What, you ask? Dispatch an entire army and not bat an eye, caring more about crimson liquids staining your clothes scarlet, flesh and innards splattering over your face, obscuring any vision you once had. Ignoring the cries of pain, not even finishing them off as one last favor.

_I wonder if they had…her….with them…_he thought. No telling who it was. If someone inquired, they were executed immediately. Not publicly, or by royal decree. And so the peoples learned not to inquire, or else. And sometimes it was worse than execution, like severing your limbs and letting you die a slow, painful death, or maybe killing all your loved ones in front of you.

_Absolutely not. Surely they wouldn't…_And so this was where his thoughts stopped. Picking up a piece of torn mauve fabric, he twirled the bloodstained piece between slender fingers. Crimson eyes scanned the vicinity. All the animals were surely scared off by now, if not by the militia, killed by the waves.

_There goes my chance of a decent meal. _Whatever anyone said denying it, the man was quite kind to the animals.

_"I'll protect you," _he had once said to a dying squirrel. And he had. He stayed by the furry creature's side for a whole night, scaring off creatures that wanted to feast off its dying carcass. After a night, it had died, but anyone there could've sworn by El, or whatever was valuable to them, that they could've heard a small whimper from the squirrel, as if it was thanking him, and giving him a blessing with its dying breath.

_All in the past. It was all in the past. _And so it was. Some kindness was reserved for animals, one could even say whatever kindness he had was for the animals.

Tell whoever said that they were right. It was.

The fabric was flung out into the night with a toss. Blood sprayed out around it, attracting flesh-eating birds and carnivores. He stood up straighter, cracking his back. Stalking away, a steel sword dragging behind him leaving a trail of blood—he had asked for his own sword, they'd said no. Anyway, he was glad. Polishing a sword was not something one wanted to do every day—and a horrid tune coming from his lips, birdsong echoed across treetops.

_A little quiet, isn't it…_he thought. The little tune he had carried stopped. This wasn't the time for that. _Maybe, _he thought bitterly, _if she hadn't left me, then none of this would've happened. We'd have died together back in Sander. At least we'd both be happy. Look, are you happy? Velder troops dead, and their innards piled around Ruben? This is where we met. This could've been happier. But instead, you chose to use me as a diversion to save your own sorry ass. Someday…someday I'll kill you. I swear it. You'll die by my hands someday…_

_ Aisha._

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**_AN: It's kind of short. 1,099 words, not including AN. Anyway. Second fanfiction, suppose it's set in a medieval-ish time. Hope you enjoy it~_**


	2. Chapter 1

Amethyst optics gazed at the leather-bound tome grasped in delicate hands. Pondering on various spells and magic enhancements, her incredibly long train of thought was broken by hurried footsteps.

"Mistress Aisha! I'm sorry I'm late!" An elf with long, lime-green hair tied in a ponytail with black ribbons hurried into her room. Seeing her studying the thick spell book, she stopped and bowed. How the tray balanced on her hand while all this happened was a mystery. On the tray were small delicacies such as apple bread and small cakes, a generous helping of porridge with a dollop of brown sugar, and a bone china teapot with a similar teacup.

The tray was set on the small polished wood table in front of Aisha. "Your breakfast, Mistress."

A tinkling laugh escaped Aisha's lips. In a voice just as melodic, she stated, "Rena. You need not call me that. I told you, treat me as you would anyone else. Just because I am of royal descent, doesn't mean you should treat me any different. Please remember that."

"Ahah…of course, Mis—Aisha! I apologize. But that's really too much—you've let me wear my own clothes instead of the standard uniform like at the palace, and you've let me invite Raven over occasionally! I really couldn't thank you enough."

"Ah. It's fine, there is no need to thank me. If anything, I should be thanking you for bringing me breakfast! I should learn to cook someday. I can only make consumables with alchemy…" she mused, lost in thought. She shook her head slightly, and regained her composure.

"Tell you what. I'll go out to the market today and buy some groceries. This way, you can continue doing your assigned duty and cook for me, but you need not buy the ingredients. Anyway, I've missed my friends in the square, and I need some fresh air. Agreed?"

"But—'' Rena started to protest.

"No buts. You're staying here, and I'll go out and buy some things."

Rena pursed her lips, and deflated like the air had been let out of her. "Alright…but I still can't thank you enough!" Rena had a feeling it was more than just some fresh air—maybe a boy, possibly?—but she dare not push her luck and ask. Although, she was lucky she'd been assigned Velder and not Altera. Rena had heard the princess there was brutal.

"Ah. See you later! I think I'll go to the café as well, would you like something?" Aisha pushed open the door of the cottage she and Rena lived in—she'd insisted she be given the exact same living conditions as the peasants and commoners—and stepped out the door. She picked up a merry tune as she went, humming as she traversed along the streets, waving to merchants and commoners as she passed them.

At last, she reached the market square. It was a merry place; shops and cafés lined the circumference, and merchants selling jewelery and farmers selling fresh crops boomed out prices, and buyers haggled loudly with the sellers. The rich carried their money in purses embellished with fancy ornaments; the poor carried their few coins in their mouths to keep them safe from crooks.

_Hmm…_thought Aisha. She had been planning to make a full round today, and she realised to lighten her load, she should talk with the alchemist at the alchemy shop, Echo. At least, Aisha hoped it was Echo. She didn't mind the others—except Grail, she found him cute (in a puppy-dog way) but scary—like Chaca Buch (he was really nice), or Allegro, but her personal favorite friend was Echo.

Sure enough, the white-haired girl was behind the counter, licking her ever-present lollipop. When she saw Aisha, her eyes lit up, though her expression was still stoic. "Aisha! What brings you here? We,"—when she said "we" she usually meant everyone but her, but under pressure she could do wonders, so nobody really questioned it—"have come up with an elixir that conjures an ice orb that orbits around you and damages enemies. We call it Denif's Ice Orb Elixir, because the orb itself is similar to the ones that Salvatore Denif use. We've yet to figure out something for Salvatore Solace, though. Would you like one?"

Aisha smiled. Now here was someone that didn't need reminding not to call her "miss" or "mistress".

"Ah, no thank you. I wanted to see if you had any more yggdrasil leaves. I'm trying to figure out if it'd be good as a garnish on alchemized food. And if it doesn't trouble you too much, could I have a few flame breath sacks as well? I understand completely if you guys wouldn't part with them, since they're a bit hard to obtain from Bethma, and too expensive to purchase elsewhere."

Echo smiled slightly. "Echo doesn't mind, but I'll need to ask the others." The albino placed her lollipop on a small piece of wax paper and dashed through the fabric curtain leading to the secluded backroom. Whispers could be heard, and after a few moments Echo came back out with a basket with two large bags placed inside.

"Echo found them! Nobody minds, especially not for you." She placed the basket on the counter, and Aisha placed a small pouch of coins on the counter. Echo took the coins, and Aisha took the basket.

"Thank you, Echo! I'll see you soon!" Aisha smiled and waved, and Echo bid her farewell. Humming her tune again, Aisha continued to stroll along the market path, chatting with farmers and merchants, and occasionally dropping a coin or two into the pot of a beggar.

She reached the small candy stand at the far end of the marketplace. "Ara! How do you fare today?" she greeted.

"Wonderful. Though…" Ara smiled, then gazed off into the distance, as if too far away, as if in another world. Aisha smiled slightly. When one was talking to Ara, they had to be patient, for she thought of her brother often. Ara shook her head and smiled again. "Anyway! How can I help you?"

"Well, you've met Rena, correct?" Aisha questioned. As the raven gave a curt nod, she continued. "Well, she's done so much for me, and I want to get her something to thank her."

"Ah. I see. Well…" Ara crouched down and rummaged through the shelves, digging through various candies she'd crafted herself. "Here!" She resurfaced, and handed Aisha two bags. Aisha was confused as she'd asked for one, but received _two. _"One's for you, one's for Rena. Being princess of Velder must be stressful, so I got you something." Ara grinned, and started to explain the sugary treats.

"The one for Rena,"—she stopped to point at said candy—"is a nature-infused candy. It's rock candy that's supposed to resemble the El in the Elven Forest, which I think is green. It gives you energy. And that one,"—she stopped to point at the other bag—"is a element candy, with colours resembling the El; wind, fire, light, nature, water, and," Ara paused, shuddering. "_dark._"

Aisha took the two bags of candy and placed them in the basket she had received from the alchemists. Sliding a couple coins over the counter, she bid farewell and left.

The monotonous pattern of chatting, buying, and farewells repeated a great amount of time during the day. By late afternoon, Aisha had bought sugar, vegetables, meat, and milk. She forced her tired legs to walk over to the little café she'd been planning to go to all along, and pushed open the glass door.

Daylight illuminated the room with a soft, natural glow, but the wax candles still burned. Aisha instantly felt more relaxed in the small place, and sighed.

"Aisha! Welcome back! Will it be the usual?" Aisha glanced to the source of the call, a tall, lime haired elf; Rena's sister Seidai.

"Yes, please. Thank you, Seidai. But can I bring a few cookies home? I'd like to share some with Rena." Aisha went over to one of the small tables, and sat down, setting her basket aside.

"Of course. I'll get the kitchen started on that right now." Seidai walked behind the counter and into the kitchen. Aisha's eyes watched her, and eventually travelled to the others working. Only a few of the employees she knew by name—Sosui, Tekina, Serafu, and Yoru—but they were all clothed uniquely.

Aisha was brought her food soon after, and as she finished and said her goodbyes, the sun had just started to go down. She hurried home, anxious to see Rena.

She pushed open the door of the cottage, and smiled happily, humming. It was dark. Funny, she thought, if it was growing dark, wouldn't Rena light a candle? She had common sense in her, of course.

_"Mmph Asssha!" _Rena's voice, but muffled. Aisha turned around, and was horrified to see Rena, illuminated by the last of the daylight, tied and gagged. A figure was bent over her with a blade, but just as it saw Aisha, it broke open a window and fled into the streets.

Aisha ran over and untied Rena. "Are you okay?!" she gasped. Several bruises were visible upon her fair skin.

"Fine. Did you find what you needed at the market?" Rena dismissed the question, changing the topic.

"Yes, but the more important thing right now is your attacker. What did they look like? We can't let something like this roam the streets freely. I wouldn't want any more citizens to get hurt."

"Oh." Seeing reason, Rena began to explain. "Well, I'm sitting down and reading, right? So this punk decides to break down a window, and tackle me. I don't know why, but you know, terrorists and their strange ways. Funny though, I feel like I've seen this child somewhere before. Crimson hair, matching eyes, red white and black clothes. It's too dark, so I don't really see much. The child ties me up, gags me, hits me a few times—the _nerve! _I thought he'd treat an elf with more respect!—I kick him, he hits me some more, and when I kick him a few more times, he raises a sword and is about to kill me when you come in! Perfect timing."

Aisha was horrorstruck. Warily eyeing Rena, she said, "Could you describe him again?"

"Um, alright. Crimson hair, crimson eyes, red white and black uniform of some sort. That's about it."

Aisha's amethyst eyes widened, and her pupils dilated. Even with such a vague description, she knew exactly who it was.

_ Elsword. _

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**AN:**

**Replies to reviews:**

**albertrojas0: Thank you ;u; Here's your update, dear~**

**PikaChibi: I'm trying to go for that xDD**

**AkitaEls: I don't even know why. Like, I guess I'm trying? Am I? I don't know anymore. Thank you, I'll try~**

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**MiyuMelody: oKAY WOW SOMEONE'S HAD TOO MUCH CAFFEINE TODAY anyway. She's not going to be, don't worry. **


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